The conflict between Iran and the US continues, although they are engaged in nuclear talks. During the first meeting of his Board of Peace (BoP) in Washington DC on February 19, 2026, US President Donald John Trump said of negotiations with the Islamic Republic about its nuclear programme: “We have to make a meaningful deal otherwise bad things will happen.” Iran has hastily announced that it wants a diplomatic solution, and not war, immediately after the US President stressed that the world would find out “over the next, probably, 10-15 days” whether Washington DC would reach a deal with Tehran or take military action.

It is heard that the US President has left various avenues open for a solution. According to a report by Axios, Trump has a plan to assassinate Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, his son Mojtaba, who is seen as a potential successor, and other members of the clergy leadership, if Tehran refuses to accept Washington DC’s demands.

According to political analysts, President Trump did not ask for 10-15 days only to weigh the pros and cons of the war, as he and his advisers are considering other options, as well. Reports suggest that the Pentagon has presented the President with options that include a plan to assassinate Khamenei and Mojtaba, even as diplomatic channels remain open for a nuclear deal.

A presidential adviser has reportedly said: “They have something for every scenario. One scenario takes out the Ayatollah and his son and the mullahs.” At the same time, the adviser has claimed that no final decision has been made yet. Meanwhile, the White House has declined to clarify the President’s intentions, with spokesperson Anna Kelly stating: “Only President Trump knows what he may or may not do.” She did not forget to mention that the target could also be the top political leadership of Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has emphasised that there is “no other option but to negotiate” to resolve conflicts, particularly regarding Iran’s nuclear programme and relations with the US, asserting that battlefield solutions are ineffective. Amidst high tensions, the foreign minister has stated that while Iran is ready for war if attacked, it prefers diplomatic, fair talks over military confrontation. He has hinted that Tehran would hand over the final draft of the nuclear deal to US representative Steve Witkoff within a few days.

Araghchi previously stated that the US had not demanded a complete halt to, or “zero“, uranium enrichment in Iran, contradicting public statements from the US officials. As expected, his comments caused a stir as the US and Israel had repeatedly demanded that Iran’s nuclear programme be completely dismantled, with a specific focus on halting all enrichment and removing all enriched material.

As per latest reports, Iran has claimed that the US has dropped its Zero Nuclear demand during negotiations. US media reports, too, suggest that Washington DC could indeed allow Tehran to conduct nuclear research, if the Islamic Republic promises not to build a nuclear bomb. Else, Khamenei and his son would be eliminated.

Meanwhile,

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das